Process of bleaching.



No. 635,248. Pate nted Oct. I7, I899.

n. HADFIELD.

PROCESS OF BLEAcmn'a. (Application filed Dec. 21, 1897.) (No Model.)

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No. 635 248. Patented t. l

I-l. l-IADFIELD. 0c

PROCESS 0F BLEACHIN'G.

(Application filed Dec. 21, 1897.)

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1' "cams PETERS cu. PHOTO-LITHQ. wnsumm' ATENT- FFICEQ Y HENRYI-IADFIELD, OF STOOKPORT, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO JOSEPHJOHNSON SUMNER AND WILLIE HADFIELD, OF FURNESS VALE,

ENGLAND.

PROCESS OF BLEACHING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,248, dated October17, 1899-.

Application filed December 2 1, 1 8 9 7.

object not only to dispense with the usual keirs used for the lye-boil,but also to con- I 5 tinuously effect the bleaching of the goods withouthandling the same; and in order that my invention may be fullyunderstood I have attached hereto two sheets of explanatory drawings,towhich I will now refer.

In the said drawings, on Sheet 1, Figure 1 representsin plan view'theapparatus used by me in carrying out my method. Fig. 2.15 a sectionalside elevation of the souring-bath. Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevationof the washing-cistern. Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation of one oftheseries of becks. Fig. 5 represents a side elevation of; one of thebecks. On Sheet 2, Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation of the apparatusfor continuously bleaching 0 the fabric. Fig. 7 is a plan of the same,and

Fig. 8 is a side view of one of the parts.

As is well known, the preliminary treatmentof the fabrics in the keirsconsumes considerable time, and extensive handling of 3 5 the materialisrequired before it leaves the keir. The .apparatusto effect this isshown on Sheet 1 of the drawings, to which I will first refer.

In the drawings the material under treatment is shown in rope form,although the open formation may also be treated.

According to my invention the material, after being singed in the usualmanner and moistened when required, is passed through a pot-eye into aweak hydrochloric-acid souring-bath A of about 2 Twaddell. A seetionalside-elevation of the bath A is shown in Fig. 2. The material is carriedover and under top and bottom carrying-rollers and.

out between squeezing-bowls a a, the lower Serial No. 662,362. (Nospecimens.)

one of which is driven by a belt or suitable gearing to feed thematerial forward. From the bath A the material is drawn onto a stillageB by a wince b and allowed to stand for a few hours, say from aboutthree to siX. The stillage B is shown in the drawings in duplicate, sothat as the material is being led from the souring-bath and standing forthe requisite time in one the material in the other I is being conductedthrough the after proc- 6o esses. From the stillage B the material,after being allowed to stand for the requisite length of time, is thenpassed into a cistern O, containing cold or warm water. Fig. shows asectional elevation of the washing-cistern O. This cistern is dividedinto two compartments 0 d by a partition 6, and the material is passedover and under top and bottomcarrying-rollers, as plainly shown in Fig.3, to provide for therequisite length of immersion. A spurtpipe 0'supplieswater tothe compartment cl, which overflows into the compartment0, so that the fabric meets the cleaner-water as it is passing out ofthe cistern. Revolving heaters e e are also mounted in the cistern 0.Squeezing-"bowls ff express the water from the material as it leaves thecistern 0. One .of these bowls f is driven so as to pull the fabricthrough the cistern. From the washing-cistern O the material is drawnthrough a series of becks D E F G H I. The becks are six in number; butI do not limit myself to this, as more or less may be employed. Thebecks contain a weak solution of boiling caustic soda of about, say, 2Twaddell. The caustic-soda solution may also contain about three percent. of petroleum. The caustic soda is heated by means of perforatedsteam-pipes g. Squeezing-bowlsh h are mounted above the becks, one ofwhich is driven so as to pull forward the fabric, and a revolving beatert' may also be employed. The-roped fabric as it enters the heck iscoiled, folded, or compacted at the bottom of the beck, as shown in Fig.4:. It is then conducted between the squeezing-bowls and again coiled atthe bottom of the heck, and so on, being passed between the pegs orguides j, so as to travel through the heck between the squeezing-bowls hh in a spiral fashion. The becks are placed in communication with eachother by means of conduits it, along which the material is passed fromone to the neighboring beck. The material being passed spirally throughthe books and coiled or folded along the bottom, as shown in Fig. 4,each of the becks is capable of containing about eight or nine hundredyards of fabric.

The material is constantly in motion, and being passed continuallybetween the various squeezing-bowls the sizing and other matterscontained in the material and which are destroyed and loosened by thesouring-bath and caustic soda are constantly being expressed and theprocess is naturally expedited. The cloth, moreover, is left in a moreperfect condition for the after process of bleaching. If desired, thebecks may be divided into compartments of decreasing levels of'liquid,the liquid from one flowing into the other, so that as the materialadvances it meets comparatively cleaner solutions of caustic soda.

On leaving the last of the series of becks I the material is drawn bythe wince b and thoroughly washed. This further treatment is shown inSheet 2 of the drawings, which illustrates my method for the continuousbleaching of woven goods in the open form; but it will be understoodthat goods may also be treated in the rope formation. The material afterleaving the last beck I is passed I over the guide-roller m andstenting-bars m m to the Washing-vat J, as indicated by the arrows, thewater contained therein being preferably hot. The vat or cistern J isprovided with top and bottom guide-rollers at, above and below whichthefabric is led. The cistern J is divided into two compart-- ments by apartition 11 in such a manner that Revolving heaters or dashers 0' 0 arealso mounted in the sides of the cistern to agitate the water and directthe same upon the surface of the fabric. It will be noted that as theclean water is delivered to the compartment J only the incoming fabricwill first meet the dirtier water in the compartment J proceeding fromthence into the cleaner water in the compartment J ofthe cistern. Thematerial under treatment is led from the cistern J betweensqueezing-bowls K, the moisture expressed from the fabric being returned.to the compartment J by the inclined plate or board 0 Leaving thesqueezingbowls K the fabric is subjected to a second wash in aoistern L.The cistern L is similar in construction to the cistern J, beingprovided with top and bottom guiding-rollers p, a central partition p,spurt-pipes p beaters t and steam-pipes p. I may, if desired, employonly one washing-cistern divided into any convenient number ofcompartments by partitions and having therein decreasing water-levels,although I prefer the arrangement shown in the drawings. From the secondwash in the cistern L the goods are again passed between squeezing-bowlsM, the expressed liquid being returned by the inclined plate or board qto the cistern L. The material then passes in a chemicking-vat N, whichis also provided with top and bottom guide-rollers r. Thischemicking-bath is the usual chloride-of-lime bath. After treatment inthe chemicking liquid the material is conducted again betweensqueezing-bowls O and 0, from whence it passes into a closed cham-' berP, having a removable top orcover 8, within which heat is applied to thefabric to liberate the chlorine. The bottom of the cham ber Pis providedwith perforated steam-pipes y, as shown more clearly in the plan view,Fig. 7, from which steam enters into and heats the chamber and acts onthe passing fabric. In passing through the chamber P the fabric is againled over and under top and bottom guide rollers t and is thoroughlysteamed to liberate the chlorine.

The liberation of the chlorine leaves in the cloth a certain proportionof insoluble lime, which I render soluble in the following man ner: Thesteaming or heating chamber P is provided with a heated vaporizer Q.(Shown more clearly in the separate view, Fig. 8.) The vaporizerconsists of a metallic, earthenware, or other tank or trough'u, alongthe bottom of which, is arranged a steam or other heated pipe u. Steamis admitted to the pipe-u and controlled by a suitable valve 11. Thepipe 21. is also in connection with a steamtrap n to remove the water ofcondensation from thepipes.

Upon the top of the steam-chamber P, I mount two vessels R, containingacetic acid and provided with stop-cocks n. A small quantity of theacetic acid is directed into the funnels of two bent tubes '0, the lowerprojecting parts '0 of which are perforated so as to discharge the acidupon the heated pipe u, disposed along the bottom of the trough u. Theacetic acid is thus vaporized by contact with the heated pipe to, andthe vapors mingle with the steam, and while assisting to remove thechlorine from the cloth also render the residual lime in the clothsoluble.

To further complete the bleaching action of the chlorine and acetic-acidvapors upon the cloth, I now pass the cloth into a secondsteaming-chamber S, where it is subjected to the action of steam alone.The second steaming-chamber is also provided with top and bottomguide-rollers w and steam-pipes Z. As indicated in the drawings, thechambers P and S are provided with slatted wooden bottoms or trestles w.A canopy 1.0 and chimney to collect and remove the vapors from thesteaming-chambers, as indicated by the arrows. The cloth is then ledfrom the steaming-chamber S to thefinal washing-cisterns T and U,wherethe material is subjected .to a final wash of hot or cold Water and isconducted through squeezing-rollers to the usual drying-cylinders to bedried.

The washing cisterns T and U are constructed in a manner similar to thewashingcisterns J L,'and therefore do not need to be described indetail.

If necessary I might interpose a weak souring-bath between the secondsteaming-chamber S and the final washing-cisterns T U.

The requisite heat might be applied to the fabric otherwise than bysteaming For example, I might admit or force hot air into the chambers PS or lead the fabric between or over heating-boxes or over steam orother heated rollers.

The various squeezing bowls might be driven by suitable bevel-gearing,as indicated in the plan view, Fig. '7.

As a modification, instead of vaporizing the acetic acid in thesteaming-chamber P, as described, I might pass the fabric through aseparate bath of acetic acid preliminary to its treatment within thesteam chamber or chambers. In this case a trough V (shown in dottedlines in the drawings and containing acetic acid) is mounted or disposedbetween the chemickingvat and the steamchamber P. The fabric is led fromthe squeezing-bowl 0 into the trough V and below the roller w, and fromthence after immersion in the acetic acid it is passed between thesqueezing-bowls O and conducted to the steamingchambers P, where it issubjected to the action of steam alone and finally washed in thecisterns T U, as already described. Instead of a separate bath of aceticacid I may apply the acetic acid along with the chlorine in the cisternN.

Under the hereinbefore-described continuous bleaching process the clothdoes not require to be handled after leaving the becks and the bleachingis both expedited and cheapened.

I declare that what I claim is- 1. The improved method or process ofcontinuously bleaching and washing woven goods in the piece, in whichthe goods are first subjected to a hot wash or washes, passed through achemicking-bath, and then sub- HENRY HADFIELD.

Witnesses:

JOSHUA ENTWIsLE, THOMAS LATHAM.

